TBA's Life Linked

Succession planning is one of the most important—and most overlooked—conversations for business owners. In this episode, Morgan sits down with Dan Lehner of Principal Financial Group to discuss why many owners delay planning , the risks of waiting too long, and how advisors can guide meaningful succession conversations that protect businesses, families, and long-term legacy.

Every insurance advisor hears "no," but the best advisors know how to turn those moments into stronger relationships, better positioning, and future opportunities. In this episode of Life Linked, Morgan sits down with marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and advisor coach Tiffany Markarian to unpack the real meaning behind client hesitation and rejection. Together, they explore how advisors can...

In this episode, Chad Preston sits down with veteran advisor Ed Steffens to unpack how life insurance evolved from an uncomfortable topic into a core responsibility within his practice. Ed shares how a real-life client tragedy reshaped his perspective, turning life insurance from a "nice-to-have" into a moral and professional obligation. They dive into practical ways to introduce life insurance wi...

Many business owner clients face the same problem, but rarely plan for it correctly. One child takes over the business. The others do not. That is where estate equalization becomes essential. In this episode of the Life Linked Podcast, Morgan sits down with Ron Lee, Vice President of Advanced Markets at Mutual of Omaha, to walk through how advisors can navigate these complex conversations with con...

Most advisors spend their time chasing new business, while overlooking the opportunity already sitting inside their existing book.   In this episode, we're joined by Niko Kantouros of Proformex to discuss how advisors can uncover coverage gaps, identify cross-sell opportunities, and strengthen retention through centralized visibility into their clients' life insurance and annuities.    We break do...

Zach Gosselin joins Life Linked to break down how life insurance conversations are changing as clients become more skeptical and distracted. He explains why advisors must lead with risk and outcomes, not product, and highlights the biggest gaps he sees: weak positioning, stalled underwriting momentum, and outdated coverage. Zach shares when permanent vs. term makes sense, why conversion options ma...

In this episode, John Felton and Zach Gosselin break down why year-end is the most important time for advisors to plan ahead and where the real opportunities for growth will come from in 2026. The discussion covers key industry trends, effective use of permanent life solutions, and the continued role of annuities, and how advisors can help business owners with employee retention strategies using l...

In this episode, we sit down with John Felton , President of Tennessee Brokerage Agency, to break down what TBA Awareness Month is all about and why it matters for advisors. John walks through how TBA stands out as a true partner: offering hands-on case support, product expertise, and business-growth strategies that many advisors don't realize they have at their fingertips. We cover the key tools...

In this episode, we sit down with Kathryn Kinnanne , TBA's in-house annuity specialist, for a practical, straight-forward look at what's happening in the annuity world right now. Kathryn breaks down why fixed annuities are seeing some of the strongest rates in more than a decade, how rising and falling treasury rates shape the market, and why advisors are giving annuities a fresh look as part of t...

In this episode, Morgan sits down with Mark Householder - SVP of Business Solutions at Principal Financial Group - to unpack the biggest takeaways from the 2025 Principal Business Owner Insights Study.  From business protection and succession planning to key employee benefits and retirement solutions, we break down what's driving decisions in 2025 and how advisors can turn data into opportunity. M...

Permanent life insurance is often misunderstood as just a death benefit, but it's so much more than that. In this episode,  TBA Vice President Zach Gosselin breaks down what advisors really need to know to position permanent life insurance effectively with clients. Zach shares clear, practical ways to explain the difference between term and permanent coverage, how to set realistic expectations aro...

In this powerful episode, Kevin Riley of One America joins Tennessee Brokerage Agency to tackle one of today's most urgent financial and emotional challenges: the caregiver crisis . Riley reframes the long-term care (LTC) conversation — shifting the focus from paying for care to managing resources and protecting families from the crushing realities of caregiving. Listeners will gain a clear unders...

Life insurance doesn't have to be slow or complicated. In this episode, we sit down with Daneyelle Schneider, Senior Underwriting Manager & Brad Mills, Regional Vice President at Symetra , to talk about the Swift platform  and how it's reshaping the way advisors and clients experience life insurance. We cover why speed and transparency matter, how Swift can improve efficiency for advisors, and wha...

Small-business succession planning is often ignored until it's too late. John Fitzpatrick and Mark Berry of John Hancock share real-life stories, key insights from the Connelly case, and practical tools like the BOSS framework to help advisors guide clients through buy-sell agreements, Key Person insurance, and continuity planning. Discover how to position yourself as a solutions provider—not just...

August isn't downtime - it's go time. In this episode, John Felton & Zach Gosselin break down why now is the perfect moment for advisors to reconnect with clients, spot life changes, and spark meaningful conversations that lead to real planning opportunities.  From mid-year check-ins that turned into major plan overhauls, to simple tactics for identifying client needs without product overhwhelm, t...

In this episode, we sit down with Grant James, a property and casualty advisor, who shares their firsthand experience navigating the life insurance application process through Vive. The conversation dives into the day-to-day efficiencies gained, the technology's real-world impact on case management, and how Vive streamlined everything from carrier selection to submission. The advisor reflects on i...

In recognition of Disability Insurance Awareness Month, this episode dives into the importance of disability insurance and how advisors can better serve clients by including it in their planning conversations. The discussion covers key target markets for disability insurance, including professionals, business owners, and young earners just starting their careers. Listeners will also learn about th...

In this episode, we're thrilled to introduce Heather Sprague, our new Underwriting Consultant with LIBRA and a true game-changer for your life insurance business. Heather brings years of experience navigating the ins and outs of underwriting—and she's here to help you turn borderline cases into approved applications. Tune in to learn how Heather partners with advisors to strengthen submissions, av...

We all know that you can't time the market and when a client is entering the distribution phase of their retirement planning, this becomes an increased concern. In this episode, we take a deep dive into how utilizing an IUL allows your clients to strategically use the plan to fund their retirement.  Adding a life insurance solution not only offers death benefit protection but also options and flex...

Through its partnership with LIBRA Insurance Partners, TBA has access to resources that make securing offers for its advisors and their clients even easier. RGA – a reinsurer – is one of those resources that TBA leans out for specific impaired risk cases to secure an offer in just 24 hours. John Felton, President of TBA, sat down with Aaron Baack, RGA's Vice President of Underwriting, to discuss t...

As advisors prepare to take on a new year, chances are you are in the middle of planning out your goals and strategies. That's why we brought on Award-Winning Marketing Strategist, Tiffany Markarian, who is also the Managing Director of Advantus Marketing, LLC. Tiffany provides important insights on how advisors can avoid common missteps… and the not-so-common missteps…made during the sales and ma...

Every December, we take the time to bring awareness to all the resources available for advisors at TBA and what advisors should be aware of and focus on as we move into a new year. John Felton hopped on to discuss the following:  Refresher on what TBA Awareness Month is 3 important resources TBA offers that advisors should be more aware of With the election results, and the New Year approaching, w...

As we embark on the possibility of estate tax regulations changing at the end of 2025, which may or may not happen with the recent election results, we brought in an expert on all things estate planning – Brett Berg from Prudential. He is a trusted resource for TBA, and Zach Gosselin sat down with him to discuss the approach your clients should be taking to estate planning, where to seek informati...

We're closing out our Business Solutions Series with Principal's business solutions team - Mark Householder & Tom Bates. After bringing them in to discuss all things Key Person Coverage , we brought them back to discuss all things Buy-Sell Opportunities with Zach Gosselin: How common it is for buy sell agreements to be funded with life insurance The risks business owners face if they don't have a...

This September is the 20 th Anniversary of Life Insurance Awareness Month! To celebrate, we brought our LIBRA Relationship Director – Michele Leeming – on the podcast to discuss the biggest changes that have happened in life insurance in the last few years, how to leverage awareness, take advantage of resources available, and what target markets that you should be considering more effectively to i...